Chicken Littles may dub this the Doomsday Planet X. Actually there is no need to worry for now. ;)
Asteroid 3200 Phaethon is expected to pass only 0.0689 AU (10.3 million km – 6.4 million miles) from Earth on 2017 DEC 16 at 17 hr CST (23 hr UT). This should be preceded by maximum brilliance at magnitude +10.7 on DEC 14, which will require a telescope to be seen.
Phaethon is about 5 km in diameter. Its highly elliptical orbit and material composition suggest it may have started life as a comet. Debris from Phaethon is thought to be the source of the annual Geminid Meteor Shower, which is expected to peak this year during the night of DEC 13-14.
I’ve created two charts and an ephemeris. Due to the format I’ve placed them on my Comets webpage: http://ift.tt/1YQ1wAu
Photos and descriptions of Phaethon would be welcome additions to this thread.
Asteroid 3200 Phaethon is expected to pass only 0.0689 AU (10.3 million km – 6.4 million miles) from Earth on 2017 DEC 16 at 17 hr CST (23 hr UT). This should be preceded by maximum brilliance at magnitude +10.7 on DEC 14, which will require a telescope to be seen.
Phaethon is about 5 km in diameter. Its highly elliptical orbit and material composition suggest it may have started life as a comet. Debris from Phaethon is thought to be the source of the annual Geminid Meteor Shower, which is expected to peak this year during the night of DEC 13-14.
I’ve created two charts and an ephemeris. Due to the format I’ve placed them on my Comets webpage: http://ift.tt/1YQ1wAu
Photos and descriptions of Phaethon would be welcome additions to this thread.
via International Skeptics Forum http://ift.tt/2AyxVL0
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